CONCORD, N.H. — With new Democratic majorities in the state Legislature, at least three challengers are now looking to unseat the New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan.
Scanlan, a Republican, has served as secretary of state since 2022. Before that, he spent two decades as deputy secretary of state.
The position is elected by the New Hampshire Legislature, which has been under Republican control since 2021.
But in the recent midterm election, Democrats won strong majorities in both the Senate and House so they would have the votes to choose a new secretary of state if they coalesce behind another candidate.
In addition to overseeing elections, the secretary of state is also responsible for administering business registrations, regulating securities, and overseeing the state archive.
Scanlan has confirmed that he is running for another two-year term and said he has bipartisan support. For now, at least three other candidates have entered the race as well and more could join them.
Carleigh Beriont, a Hampton Democrat, is among them. Earlier this year, Beriont ran for New Hampshire’s First Congressional District, losing the primary to Stefany Shaheen, who went on to win the general election.
In a letter to lawmakers, Beriont highlighted her experience in local government, where she serves as an election commissioner, chair of the select board, and member of Hampton’s budget committee. Beriont is a historian with a PhD from Harvard who taught at Harvard’s Kennedy School for a decade.
“Election days are my favorite days of the year,” she said in the letter.
Among the priorities she outlined in her letter were addressing youth voter registration, supporting local election officials, and protecting New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation-primary.
Representative Patrick Long, a Manchester Democrat, also informed his colleagues that he was in the running, arguing they should pick him because of his experience including as an election volunteer, a poll observer, ballot inspector, and selectman.
“Even with a solid majority, many legislators on both sides want to see someone who is devoted to the work, and will not vote for a candidate who they perceive, rightly or wrongly, as just an out-of-work politician looking for a job,” he wrote in an email to legislators.
James Butler, of Portsmouth, is also vying for the position. Butler previously worked as a policy adviser to former Democratic Governor Maggie Hassan and now works for Eversource Energy.
He told lawmakers that he would work to expand voting rights, modernize the office, and uphold the first-in-the-nation primary.
“We have the chance to make meaningful change and take the office in a new direction,” he said in a letter to lawmakers.
In recent history, the secretary of state position has enjoyed relative stability, even as the partisan makeup of the state Legislature shifted.
Scanlan’s predecessor, Bill Gardner, held the position for more than four decades, winning reelection 23 times under both Democratic and Republican majorities. That made him the nation’s longest serving secretary of state, according to the Associated Press.
A spokesperson for Scanlan did not immediately provide additional comment on his bid for reelection. Scanlan has pitched himself as the most experienced candidate in the race, insisting he has bipartisan backing and can provide consistency that other candidates cannot.
A vote is scheduled to take place on Dec. 2.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.